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Tag: Corneal Refractive Surgery

Dr. Anthony Roberts is a Rockville, Maryland, physician who leads Shady Grove Ophthalmology and offers LASIK treatments. Experienced in employing advanced technologies in vision correction, Dr. Anthony Roberts undertakes the majority of LASIK procedures using the femtosecond laser, which offers a host of distinct advantages over other techniques.

Femtosecond laser systems are infrared and were first developed for ophthalmic use in the 1990s. They employ an ultrashort pulse of light that is achieved through passive mode locking. Finely tuned application of these ultrashort pulses results in a quickly expanding cloud of ionized molecules and free electrons, like an acoustic shock wave.

This is used to perform a variety of procedures, including corneal refractive surgery, particularly for correcting presbyopia and implanting intrastromal corneal ring segments. Femtosecond lasers are also used in LASIK procedures to cleave the cornea over the pupil and create what is known as the “LASIK flap.” Advantages include the reduced incidence of flap complications and greater physician control in determining variables such as flap thickness and diameter.